After staying put with the defiant posturings of the Pune Warriors India, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has terminated the contract of the Indian Premier League (IPL) team. The IPL, once a 10-team league, has now been reduced to eight teams.

The termination was a culmination of six months of sabre rattling, legal battles and ego-clashes between the BCCI and Sahara Adventure Sports, the parent company of the Pune Warriors. The decision was taken at the working committee meeting of the BCCI, which had also invited the members of the IPL governing council. This paper was first to report on the impeding termination of the Pune team in its edition dated October 24.

The cause of the problem was the BCCI's demand for a bank guarantee which Sahara refused to submit. It, instead, insisted on arbitration. After the Bombay High Court refused to give injunction on demand for bank guarantee worth Rs 170 crores, the BCCI activated its legal team. A letter was sent as recently as October 8 but Sahara stayed defiant demanding arbitration. "Given Sahara's continued position that it would not deliver the bank guarantee, the working committee unanimously determined to terminate the Sahara franchise agreement while taking whatever action was necessary to protect the BCCI position," the BCCI said.

Sahara said the decision was a breach of commitment. "Sahara had raised the issue regarding significant reduction in the number of matches which was one of the most important basis for the bid, since 2011. BCCI had made pre-bid representations that 94 matches will be held in every season and then arbitrarily reduced the number of matches from 94 to 74 and then 76. The reduction in the number of matches has had a substantial financial impact due to the reduction in the central revenues under the Franchise Agreement," Abhijit Sarkar, Sahara's head of corporate communications, said.

He further said BCCI's ground for terminating the contract was a coverup. "The issue raised by BCCI in creating grounds for termination as nonsubmission of bank guarantee seems like a desperate measure to cover up for their non-compliance of promises and obligations. Sahara has paid over Rs 1000 crore as sponsorship fee for the Indian team to BCCI since 2001 without any default ever. This is apart from the franchise fee for Pune Warriors which Sahara kept on paying since year one despite being given false assurances of justice."

He also said Sahara was left with no option but to hold back bank guarantee. Meanwhile, the BCCI has authorised its president N Srinivasan to deal appropriately with the fallout of the termination. However, it is learnt that the BCCI/IPL will not go for auctioning another team.

CUTTACK ODI ABANDONED

The fifth ODI between India and Australia was called off owing to wet outfield. The teams will now head to Nagpur for the next ODI. Australia are leading the seven-match series 2-1.